One-Pot Wonderful

As much as love a day spent in the kitchen or with a big hunk of pork slowly roasting away in the oven, sometimes the thought of a house filled for a whole day with the smell of hot meat just isn't appetizing. Especially with the weather warming up, it's far nicer to be able to whip something tasty up that can be done in one pot so you don't have to spend an hour washing up afterward.

This is a pretty simple chicken biryani dish made with lots of fragrant but not too hot spices and takes less than an hour from start to finish. I have made a simple fresh shallot and cucumber relish to add a little fresh lift and texture contrast.

I have used the dark meat of the chicken, as I usually do with curry dishes, but you could use breast meat instead, just cook it for a shorter time before adding the rice as it will overcook and become dry and stringy otherwise.

Chicken Biryani with Shallot and Cucumber Relish
serves 4, takes less than one hour

2 each chicken thighs, wings and drumsticks, skinned and boned (leave the wings on the bone)
1 large onion, sliced
500ml plain yoghurt
1 cup basmati rice
2 cups water
3cm piece ginger
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp brown mustard seeds
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp ground fenugreek
1/2 tsp ground chilli (or to taste)
4 cardomom pods
2 bay leaves
pinch, saffron
salt to taste
3 tbsp ghee or sunflower oil

Cut the chicken into large bite size chunks, then mix together the yoghurt and half each of the garlic and ginger and stir in the chicken well. Set aside at room temp for 30 minutes while you do the onions. *you could also do the marinade the day before and refrigerate it over night for an even fuller flavour.

Slice the onions thinly and fry with 1 tbsp of the ghee in a large sautee pan on a med-high heat until dark golden brown-chestnut, then remove them and allow them to drain on some paper towel.

After the chicken has marinated for half an hour, heat the rest of the ghee/oil in the same pan that you cooked the onions in and tip in the rest of the ginger, garlic and the spices. Fry for a minute or so until very fragrant but not burnt or browned, then tip in the chicken pieces, including and stir-fry for 5-6 minutes, until most of the liquid has cooked away and you have a thick, fragrant sauce and the oil is starting to separate.

Stir in the rice well, season with some salt and add the water, then bring to the boil and immediately lower the temperature to a low simmer, cover and leave to cook for 10-12 minutes, until all of the water has been absorbed by the rice. Try not to stir the rice once the water is boiling, as it will break up the starch in the raice and make the dish sticky, instead of fluffy and loose.

While the rice is cooking, you can make a small side dish of shallot and cucumber relish:

2 shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
6cm (2 1/2") cucumber (English) seeds removed and chopped into a small dice
1 green chilli, seeds and membrane removed, finely chopped
7-8 fresh mint leaves, thinly sliced (chiffonade)
a few coriander (cilantro) leaves, finely chopped
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
pinch, red chilli flakes
2 2tbsp white wine vinegar

Put the sliced shallots into a small bowl of ice water to crisp them up and take the edge off a little, drain when ready to mix the relish, right before serving

Mix the sugar, chilli flakes and salt with a couple of tbsp of boiling water and stir to dissolve then add the vinegar.
When ready to serve, mix the shallots, cucumber, mint, coriander and dressing.

When the rice is cooked, spoon directly onto serving plates and scatter with the fried onions. Serve with the relish and some plain or spiced poppadums.

Chicken Biryani

Spanish Rice With Squid. Ole!

Hi Blog! Sorry I haven't been around for a couple of days. Now that the weather is so much prettier, I've been spending more time outside in the garden, planting veggie seeds, pulling weeds and trying to figure out what animal(s) is living in my compost bin. Whatever it is, it has tunneled underground and into the greenhouse and is doing a fantastic job of turning over all the decomposing vegetables. I pulled a load of compost out from the bottom yesterday to dig into the garden, and just like last time, it smelled really lemon/limey because of all the citrus peels I toss in there while I'm cooking.
It's also possible that I discovered the Angry Birds game two days ago and so have been absolutely glued to my iPhone for the past two days playing it...

So I haven't posted any recipes or chatter on you for a few days, but I have been cooking as much as always and will post my recipes in a little bit. I've had some serious banana cake and stuffed chicken successes, as well as a truly memorable evening at Raymond Blanc's Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons, so I'll post about that incredible experience too.
A few nights ago, I was planning on making a Thai noodle dish with some squid, but when it came to it, I just wasn't feeling Thai at all so I made this simple little Spanish-style rice dish with saffron and peppers. The addition of the smoked paprika is fantastic with the squid, especially when sprinkled with a generous squeeze of lemon juice to finish.

Spanish Rice with Squid and Saffron
Serves 2, takes 20-25 minutes

250g (9oz) bomba (paella) rice
500ml (pint) good chicken stock
1 medium red onion, diced
8 squid tubes and tentacles, cleaned
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp hot, smoked paprika
large pinch, Spanish saffron
3 tbsp olive oil
1 medium yellow pepper, diced

To serve:
1 lemon, quartered
leafy salad

Bring the stock to the boil and then turn off the heat while getting the rest of the dish started.
Heat the oil over a medium-high heat and sautee for a minute or so, until it begins to soften, then add the paprika and saffron. Stir-fry for another minute or so before adding the peppers and garlic.
When the peppers are also beginning to soften, stir the rice in well, making sure to coat well in the oils. Cook the rice for a minute or so before pouring in the hot stock. Bring the pan to a low simmer, then turn the heat down to low, cover the pan and leave to cook for 10 or so minutes until all the water has been absorbed and the bottom of the pan is quite dry.
While the rice is cooking, trim the tentacles so remove the hard beaky bit and cut them in half. Slice the the tentacles into rings about 5mm (1/4") wide.
Turn your grill on high and when the rice is cooked through, stir the squid through and cook for
a minute. Pop under the grill for a further minute-90 seconds to begin to ever so slightly brown the rice. Take care not to over cook, as the squid will have the consistency of rubber bands.

Serve with a wedge of lemon and a mixed green salad with ripe tomatoes.

Spanish Rice Roast